Rates of mental health challenges among children and youth are on the rise. Physical activity has been identified as a promising intervention to improve mental health outcomes for youth. This study aimed to investigate how mental health clinicians perceive and utilize physical activity as a mental health intervention for children and adolescents.…

Objective: To examine the influence of dynamic and trending descriptive norms on increasing physical activity and decreasing the sedentary behaviors of university students while on campus. Participants: One-hundred fifty-six university students from a Canadian university completed this study. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to receive…

Objective: Physical activity (PA) is essential to promote both optimal physical and emotional health in preschool children. Hence, well-founded PA guidelines are essential. 24-hour Movement Guidelines (which include PA, recreational screen time and sleep) have been established. Thus, this study aimed to explore preschool-aged children's adherence…

Objective: To evaluate the association between health behaviors with mental health among tertiary education students. Methods: Six databases were searched until September 2021 for prospective cohort studies evaluating the association between health behavior(s) (dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary behavior, alcohol intake, sleep, smoking…

Background: Canadian 24-h movement guidelines recommend that adults achieve 150 min per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), 7-9 h of sleep per night and spend no more than 8-h per day sedentary to optimise health and wellbeing. Method: Using a cross-sectional survey of 131 family caregivers of adults with intellectual and…

Objective: To explore university students' knowledge, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, barriers and ideas related to reducing sedentary behavior using a qualitative approach. Participants: Nineteen students from a Canadian university participated. Methods: Four focus groups were conducted. Discussions were recorded, transcribed, and coded to…

Objective: Examine effects of self-affirmation on university students' processing of health risk messages related to sedentary behavior. Participants: Eighty-eight students from a Canadian university (females = 53; males = 35; M[subscript age] = 21.74, SD = 5.36) participated during the 2018-2019 academic year. Methods: Participants were…

Objective: Participation in regular exercise among post-secondary students is often low. Our cross-sectional study aimed to assess exercise levels, perceived barriers/motivators to exercise, and knowledge and use of exercise resources in graduate students. Participants: We recruited graduate students across various disciplines at a large Canadian…

Objectives: To understand experiences with and measure the effect of mobile standing desks (MSD) on undergraduates' sedentary time (ST). Participants: Two samples of full-time undergraduates in Fall 2018. Methods: Study 1 (n = 21): baseline average daily ST was measured via activPAL4[superscript TM] inclinometers and the NIGHTLY-WEEK-U…

This study aimed to obtain consensus on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) policy items for use in Canadian childcare settings. Purposeful sampling of Canadian experts in PA/SB (n = 19) and Early Childhood Education (ECE; n = 20) was used to form two distinct (i.e., PA/SB and ECE) panels for a 3-round Delphi study. In round 1, the…

Objective: Female post-secondary students typically engage in less physical activity than their male counterparts. Given that women have greater anxiety sensitivity (ie, fear of arousal-based body sensations) and anxiety sensitivity is inversely related to physical activity participation, this study sought to determine if anxiety sensitivity…

Background: Schools play an important role in promoting physical activity (PA) through school day schedules and policies. Purpose: To investigate different intensities of children's movement behavior during instructional time, recess, and in relation to the Ontario Daily Physical Activity (DPA) policy. Methods: Movement behavior intensities were…

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures have interrupted the daily routines of parents and children. The purpose of this study was to explore parents' attitudes regarding their children's play/sport during COVID-19. A secondary objective was to explore the influence of parent demographics and parent-reported physical activity…

Financial barriers often restrict sport participation among children from low-income families. Schools are thought to offer equitable access to programming, including school sport participation. However, pay-to-play school sport models can inhibit participation among students from low-income households. Recognizing the potential benefits of school…

Objective: In this study, we investigate university students to learn about their barriers to improving and/or maintaining a healthy lifestyle and their needs and interests regarding the development of a tailored intervention to promote physical activity and a healthy diet. Participants: The qualitative research included three focus groups…